A fire broke out at the Laufou Center in Nu’uuli shortly after 9 this morning.
The fire apparently started in the Koko Bean Restaurant kitchen.
According to General Manager of Forsgrens Terry Tofaeono, the ventilation hood above the restaurant stove caught fire and quickly filled the restaurant and the rest of the building with heavy smoke.
He said employees immediately attempted to douse the flames and managed to contain the fire before fire trucks arrived about 15 minutes after the fire broke.
Tofaeono said fortunately everyone was safe and there was little damage.
He said they had to break a window to hose down the top floor section directly above the ktichen, which is occupied by BlueSky.
Because of the heavy smoke Tofaeono said they had to evacuate everyone and close all of the stores and offices for today.
As of close to 4 pm they were waiting to hear from the American Samoa Power Authority as to when the power would be turned back on.
“Some of the electrical panels are probably wet and ASPA needs to check if all of the panels and wiring are safe before restoring the power,” said Tofaeono.
Four years ago, there was a gas stove explosion at the Koko Bean Restaurant which injured at least three employees.
